Rasheed Wallace says Pistons 'still trying to win that championship'

Whether Rasheed Wallace really believes the Detroit Pistons are still Title contenders or is trying to talk himself into getting ready for a first-round match-up with a top Eastern Conference team, he is displaying some of the same confidence in the Pistons as he has since he came to Detroit.

April 8, Detroit Free Press: "We're still trying to win that championship, even though most people don't think that we can. But we still believe that we can," Wallace said today after a team practice that lasted more than two hours.

"For the last few (years), everyone said, 'Oh, oh, Pistons, Pistons, Pistons,'" Wallace said in a mock plaintive tone. "But even then, honestly, for the last few they counted us out. They never said we won't be there and this and that, but we've always been there. So now we definitely have to prove to it, that we will be there."...

"Ah, definitely," he said. "And I think our swagger will come with the playoffs. We have a lot of veterans on here who we've all went deep into the playoffs for the last so-and-so years. So I think we'll definitely get our swagger back once we get that rolling and get into the playoffs; that whole playoff atmosphere, playoff mystique then -- we're good."

When Detroit was a perennial title contender, such struggles were never considered that big a deal because the Pistons usually turned up their play when needed.

But as Hamilton pointed out, those days are long gone.

"We're a different team, totally different team," said Hamilton, one of just three remaining Pistons from the 2004 championship team. "This is a brand new group of guys, a brand new coaching staff. It's a totally different team."

And because of that, the Pistons find themselves fighting just to get into the playoffs, currently sitting with the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. Chicago is a half-game back in eighth, and Charlotte is another 1 1/2 games back.

"We've never been in this situation," Hamilton said. "So you can't compare us to any other team. We have to find a way to win. Whatever that way is, we have to stick with it and hopefully get a run."

The Pistons finish the regular season with five games in eight days...Coach Michael Curry said the heavy schedule isn't a total negative.

"It's just a matter of normally at this time you're trying to get more rest heading to the playoffs," he said. "But we've had guys that are injured, so these games are good for us. We're able to get games in and try to get guys back in tip-top shape and we've got important games, so all these games mean something."

The final stretch of regular season games will have Piston fans scoreboard watching for the first time in many years, with some fans hoping for the Pistons to make the playoffs and upsetting their first-round opponent, while others hope for them to drop out and receive some ping-pong balls in the NBA draft lottery.